“Bodhisattva”
Hidden within, the compassion arises, a symphony of universal pain,
O deity! In your voice, the roar of the difficult age’s duty resounds.
Thorns become flowers, pebbles turn into crowns,
In what deep ashes, Lord! Does the intense detachment of youth awaken?
Break the bonds of possessiveness,
Towards the liberation of the world, let us head.
The fire of penance, the flame of renunciation, awaken through enlightenment,
Drinking poison, you offer the nectar of life to a thirsty world.
The dust of Vaishali’s feet is like a temptation, luring with desire,
In the worship of memory, the vine of the forest blooms in a shower of flowers.
Under the banyan tree, searching for you, King Sujata prepared rice pudding,
Under the tree of enlightenment, the songbirds beckon you amidst the cacophony.
Burdened with the weight of weapons, the earth searches restlessly for you,
Lord! The chain of suffering humanity is calling out to you.
Ah! In the courtyard of civilization, what a rain of bitterness has poured!
What a spectacle of enlightenment! Teaching the path to nirvana, what a sight!
Darkness of memories! Deception of scriptures! How deceitful is the argument!
Suffering and oppressed people, how powerful is their oppression!
Today, even the divine right of worshipping the Lord is denied to the meek,
Lord! Was this heartless world created for the sake of the unfortunate?
The victory of the demon of materialism, the sacred light of dharma turned invisible,
Bodhisattva! Run! Humanity in India has become invisible.
From the fire of austerity, the flame of renunciation, and profound contemplation,
You drank poison and offered the ambrosia of life to the world.
Vaishali’s dust kisses the feet, desiring your footsteps,
In the worship of memories, the vine of the forest showers flowers.
Beneath the banyan tree, you stand in search, Sujata offered you rice pudding,
Under the Bodhi tree, the songs of the songbirds beckon amidst the noise.
Endlessly seeking with the burden of weapons, you, the restless Earth, seek,
Lord! The chain of suffering humanity is calling out to you.
Alas! In society’s arena today, how harsh is the rain of scorpions!
What a vision that awakened a thirst for renunciation!
Darkness of memories! Deception of scriptures! How deceitful is the argument!
Oppression on the helpless and sorrowful, how formidable it has become!
Today, the Lord’s worship doesn’t belong even to the humble,
Lord! Was this heartless world created for the sake of the unfortunate?
The victory of the demon of materialism, the sacred light of dharma turned invisible,
Bodhisattva! Run! Humanity in India has become invisible.
The sunlight, the lamp, the fragrance, the flowers, invoke devotion in devotees,
The temple doors shut, and with disappointment they leave, shouting ‘victory.’
Even now, the world still brings offerings of fruit to the sage,
Even now, the world still listens to the peacocks in the forest’s austere grove.
Chanting the hymns of sacrifice, searching for you near the fig tree,
In the shadow of the battle’s weight, the Earth searches for you,
Lord! The chain of suffering humanity is calling out to you.
Awake, Bodhisattva! The oppressed Dalits of India call upon you,
Awake, arise from the fierce flames of injustice and atrocities,
Awake, Maitri Nirghosha! The universal call of duty resounds today,
Awake, Gautam! Awake, the great one!
Awake, from the revolutionary songs of the past!
Awake, the essence of dharma in the world!
Awake, Oh! Awake, Bodhisattva!
